Label: Cuneiform

Tracks:

1. La celebre boucle - 0:28
2. Le regne des termites - 4:06
3. Le sorcier - 6:29
4. Mine de rien - 3:49
5. Mille-pattes - 1:03
6. Toutes proportions gardees - 6:27
7. IGA - 0:41
8. Mangeur de masters - 3:35
9. Le roi soldat - 4:08
10. Pas a ce que je sache, Sacha - 5:56
11. Singularite - 4:54
12. L'inevitable - 5:17
13. Avatar - 5:16
14. Le fantome de M.C. Escher - 6:22
15. La polka des spheres - 1:14

Musicians:

• Bernard Falaise, guitars, fretless bass, turntable
• Pascal Globensky, digital piano, synths
• Remi Leclerc, drums, percussion, sampler
• Nicolas Masino, bass, digital piano, keys

Guest musicians:

• Marie-Chantal Leclair, saxes
• Mari-Soleil Belanger, violin
• Nemo Venba, trumpet

Miriodor is a Quebec band with a long career. They began more than 20 years ago, and "Mekano" is already their fifth album. It is the only one I have heard of the band, but what an album!!

I would say that Miriodor's influences in this album are mainly Gentle Giant, Univers Zero, King Crimson, Happy the Man and Samla Mammas Manna. Sometimes they remind me a little of Van der Graaf Generator and Anglagard. But actually Miriodor's music has such variety of sounds that the list of influences would extend to many bands. But the most important point is Miriodor owns a personal sound.

Musically, this album is the perfect style half the way between the prog with complex structures like Gentle Giant or King Crimson, and Rock In Opposition. They are great musicians and performers, they play powerful music and an incredible variety of shades and emotions.

At times, Miriodor sound like Gentle Giant doing RIO ("La Regne des Termites", "Le Sorcier", "Mine de Rien", "Mangeur de Masters", "Le Roi Soldat", "L'Inevitable", "Avatar"). In other moments they are like a more dynamic Univers Zero ("Mille-Pattes", "Toutes Proportions Gardees", "Le Roi Soldat", "Pas a que je Sache Sacha", "Singularite", "Avatar", "Le Fantome de M C Escher"). In others they remind me the hard and powerful or experimental King Crimson from the Cross-Fripp-Wetton-Bruford period ("Le Sorcier", "Mangeur de Masters", "Le Roi Soldat", "Pas a que je Sache Sacha", "L'Inevitable", "Le Fantome de M C Escher"). On the other hand, one can find happier and humorous feelings Sammla Mammas Manna-like ("Le Sorcier", "Mille-Pattes", "Pas a que je Sache Sacha", "The Polka des Spheres"), and also some prog-fusion influences kind of Happy the Man ("Mine de Rien", "Toutes Proportions Gardees", "Le Roi Soldat", "Singularite"). If we put all these bands and sounds in a cocktail shaker, the result might be very similar to this album.

But this is basically to have an idea, summarizing in these different sounds bands that have influenced them. So in other moments they can resemble many other groups, but always developing their music through a very singular route. It is impossible to emphasize particular tracks, because the whole album is of a high level quality.

For my taste, an essential album of current prog-rock.

Rating: 9/10

Ferran Lizana